Of Creatures by Eric Beeny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I typically read narrative poetry, so poetry that experiments with word order is not usually my cup of tea. But I have to say that Eric Beeny has done a marvelous job letting me in to this collection of poems. The keys for me were:
"A Moon I Found and So Romantic" (from Part 1)
"A Circumstance to Think This Was Enough" (from Part 2)
"In the Dark Because the Water Proves" (from Part 3)
After reading them, I went back to re-read all the poems in their respective sections. Surprisingly (to me) I was no longer skimming along the top of the words, but diving down into them and exploring their meaning. In them I found a sense of searching for air, of an attempt to collect and record all the elements the speaker needs to survive life on this earth. I’m glad I was able to let go enough to breathe his words, because I would not have wanted to miss the imagery and word play OF CREATURES has to offer.
Grayestone Lodge 